Conventional electronic systems, such as personal computers (PCs), provide signal interconnections between various functional components or other system modules, such as peripherals, storage, interfaces, or media devices. For example, so-called multi-media PC and other related electronic hardware may provide multiple inputs and outputs for digital audio data signal connections, whereby data signals are sent from certain input(s) to certain output(s).
In some implementations, digital signal switching is accomplished using hardware-based multiplexers, shared bus, or digital controller approach. Multiplexer approach, however, typically requires relatively large number of gates or transistors, especially when switching many endpoints, whereupon multiplexer size may grow linearly relatively to number of switched signal lines. Moreover, shared bus approach faces challenge of sending data simultaneously between multiple endpoint groups, since shared bus typically restricts bus access to single group at a time.
Furthermore, regarding digital controller approach to digital signal switching, hardware switching is typically achieved using relatively large temporary storage and so-called FIFO buffers at each input and output. In this way, digital controller effectively time-shares each channel and move data from one input FIFO to another output FIFO. Such approach is undesirable, however, because FIFO buffers and digital controller require many gates to implement. Thus, there is a need for improved digital signal switching solution, particularly to provide flexible interconnection between multiple high bit-width endpoints.